Pine Grove School Receives Grant For Sensory Toolboxes

The Avon Education Foundation recently awarded a grant worth nearly $3,400 to Pine Grove Elementary School to purchase sensory toolboxes for the entire second grade. The items that will be purchased are intended to help with student engagement, attention, and behavior. (Pine Grove Elementary School/Contributed)

In Lori Maniatis' second grade classroom at Pine Grove Elementary School in Avon , a space called the "peace place" is reserved for students who need a little time to themselves.

A colored curtain falls to the floor and inside, a student can fidget with a variety of objects designed specifically for that purpose. When they feel better, they can exit and rejoin the class.

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This is just the start of what Pine Grove is providing its teachers and second grade students to better equip them for these kinds of moments.

The Avon Education Foundation recently awarded the entire second grade a grant worth nearly $3,400 that will be used to purchase sensory toolboxes that they said promotes engagement attention and behavior.

Alescia Ford-Lanza's daughter is in Maniatis' class. Ford-Lanza, who has 15 years of experience as an occupational therapist and assistive technology specialist, owns Adapt and Learn, LLC and routinely works with school systems on these kinds of matters. She's part of the reason Pine Grove went for this grant.

"You allow for multiple means of learning and multiple means of output," Ford-Lanza said. "It allows kids to express themselves in other ways. We're offering a variety of resources to meet a variety of learning styles."

Maniatis said that young students, unlike adults, don't know yet how to consciously express these feelings.

"Kids will use what they feel is necessary for them," Maniatis said. "It's a nice outlet for them. A lot of time, kids don't yet know how to modulate. These are little things, like for seating where you have a special cushion on your chair or on the floor, that helps stimulate and allows you to get your energy out without being unfocused."

The grant will purchase six sets of these items that will make up the sensory toolboxes for all of the school's second grade classrooms. Inside them are weighted lap pads, chair bands, desk bands, sensory seating cushions, visual timers, stress ball fidgets, squidget fidgets, desk buddies, and anywhere chairs.

Maniatis said that as students are exposed to these items, they will begin to decide for themselves what helps them the most. Items won't have the same impact on students across the board.

"With the visual timers, you watch the glitter fall, and your mind calms down with it," Maniatis said. "It's more about giving them outlets so if they're having a moment where they feel unfocused or anxious or they're feeling like their bodies are out of control, they'll have some outlets."

And second grade is the perfect time to introduce these things to students, because unlike adults, they aren't automatically able to draw from their own set of skills.

"We all have a box of tools as adults that we use to help use to regulate," Ford-Lanza said. "Whether you are fidgeting with a pen cap in a meeting or tapping your foot, these are things that are unrecognizable to most and are socially accepted. Kids don't have the ability to demonstrate those skills at such a refined level. We are teaching them other ways to regulate and taking the stigma away from those kids by having them available in the whole classroom."

The hope is that these toolboxes eliminate classroom distractions, saving time for education, and lead to reduced referrals. With that, they said, comes a benefit to the student.

"You're looking at increased self-esteem, decreasing behavior prompting," Ford-Lanza said. "It can make the teacher's life easier, but the student also feels more successful. Fidgeting for some kids is necessary and allows them to access different parts of their brain."